Noise from music produces real bullets

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Staff report

POSTED:January 29, 2014 12:20 p.m.

The following are from Richmond Hill Police and Bryan County Sheriff's reports:

Matter of record: This one is bizarre. A Richmond Hill Police Department officer was dispatched to a Laurel Hill Circle address around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 18 due to “several reports of gunshots,” he reported.The officer met with the complainant, who said “approximately four gunshots were heard coming from the direction of his next door neighbor,” according to the police report. The officer then met with the neighbor, who “advised he was listening to loud music and the gunshot ‘sound’ was part of a rap song.’”The officer reported there were a lot of people inside the home and “a second guest of the residence also stated that everyone inside of the residence was fine and the loud sounds were a result of music inside the residence,” he wrote. But instead of giving up, the officer checked the area and spoke to others in the neighborhood and each “advised that they heard 3-4 distinct gunshots and not fireworks or music. Several residents added that they heard a car leave the area immediately after the sounds of gunshots were heard.”Two gave the officer a description of a car, which was duly noted in the report. The officer went back to the home where the gunshots were reportedly heard and checked the cars parked in the driveway. He found one had been hit near the center of the hood. “The bullet appeared to be of a larger caliber, possibly .380, .40 or .45 caliber,” the report said. “A bullet slug was also found under the same vehicle, near the passenger-side front tire.”The officer reported the damage was recent. He took the slug for evidence, then spoke with the car’s owner and the resident — neither of whom could “recollect hearing gunshots,” the report said. “(The car owner) was not aware of his vehicle having damage to the hood.”He also wouldn’t cooperate and so police canvassed the area looking for other damage to property or shell casings, then gave the original complainant a report number.

Terroristic threats and acts, moreSome things just make you want to shake your head. Such as this incident, which reportedly took place between 7-9 p.m. Jan. 18 when a Bryan County Sheriff’s Department deputy was sent to a Pembroke address regarding criminal trespass, damage to property and, well, a jerk with a BB gun.“(The complainant) stated that whenever he or any other member of family went by his truck that was parked in his yard … someone shot at them from the woods with a BB gun,” the reporting deputy noted in his report. So, the deputy “went with the complainant to his truck and within two minutes a BB struck the truck. I checked the woods for several minutes and could hear a BB gun going off and the BB striking different objects sporadically but was unable to locate a shooter.”Another deputy arrived “and we both searched the area together for over an hour,” it was reported. “Again during our search sporadic shots were taken at the complainant and his truck.”What’s more, “(the) complainant was actually struck one time in the buttocks and his truck was struck also,” the report said. “The truck sustained a chipped windshield as well as damage to the driver side A-post.” No offender could be located but BCSD is investigating, the report said.

TheftsFrom a Jan. 22 report: A deputy was dispatched to a Richmond Hill address where he met with a Coastal Electric representative regarding theft of services. As the deputy put it: “It was found that an electric meter that is supposed to be inactive at this address has been re-activated and was in use. When he checked the vacant residence, he found that the meter that was in the electric box was not the meter that was supposed to be there.”Instead, the meter was registered to another address on the same road. It was unclear from the report exactly which of the two addresses had its power cut for lack of payment, but apparently the switch in meters had led power to be restored to the inhabited address on Jan. 15 and some 577 kilowatt hours of power had been used. The deputy contacted a woman at that home to let her know she and her husband would be out of power “until she was able to arrange something with Coastal …” The meters were removed from both homes.A Jan. 25 report concerns an incident which allegedly occurred on the same road in Richmond Hill where the power meter was hijacked. As the deputy put it: “I was sent out to the (address) about a stolen car cover. On arrival I spoke with (complainant) about what had happened and she stated that just a few hour ago her and a friend had put the car cover over the car. She stated later they came outside and the cover was gone off her car. That’s when she called dispatch about what had happened. She also stated that someone had taken her dog’s cable from their house. They later found it in the neighbor’s yard.”A Pembroke man reported to BCSD on Jan. 23 the theft of a full bottle of clonazaepam while he was trying to build a fire in his wood stove. He named suspects to the deputy who responded to his call.